9 Dec (Hebrews 5-7)

Hebrews 5

(v.1) Depending on the age of your kids, use discretion on describing the practice of killing and sacrificing animals for sin. With that said, God ordained and commanded this...why? To show the Jews (and all believers) that there is a cost for our sins.

This started in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve tried to clothe themselves from their shame, and God killed a lamb and gave them it's hide to wear to cover their sin. Gen 3:21

God later put it in writing by the pen of Moses, to offer animals as sacrifices for sin. These practices only "covered up" sin, but it took the blood of God Himself to wash away the sin! John 1:29

(v.8) It's hard for us to fathom that Jesus learned obedience, since He is God, a part of the Holy Trinity. But when He became man, He lived as we are to strive to live...in obedience to the Father, loving and serving others.

(v.14) When we are new to Christ, we only understand the basics. God is showing us that like a baby, we can only take easy to digest wisdom. Later, as we mature in Christ, we are to be hungry for more meat and solid food, so we can grow and understand God's character better.

Hebrews 6

(v.6) This is a difficult section of Scripture, for there are many opinions and theories about salvation. Some people (the Calvinists for example) believe that God called some people to salvation, and not others...there is no way of changing who He called...there is no way for those who weren't called to be saved.

Others, the Armenians, for example, believe the opposite. They believe that we can attain and lose our salvation at will...it's a daily struggle. This also means that what God sanctifies, can be changed by man.

In each case, both are correct, and both are false. Only God can save us, but He does wish for all of us to be saved. John 3:16

What I have learned from some great Bible teachers, is that what the author is saying here, is when we are saved but fall away, or go back to some sinful lifestyle that prevents us to grow in the LORD. This is key...we are still saved, but we are not walking or growing in the LORD. Only when we repent of that sinful lifestyle, can we again be walking with God, and having fellowship with Him.

Hebrews 7

(v.1) Here is an example of the translators creating chapter breaks incorrectly! Nonetheless, the important thing to show our kids, is that Melchizedek is really Jesus in the Old Testament...a theophany or Christophany! Abraham gave tithes to Mechizedek, and Melchizedek performed communion. Melchizedek had no beginning or end, and he was both a King and a Priest...unlike the roles for the sons of Judah and Levi. Gen 14:18-20

(v.25) Jesus is our King, but He's also our High Priest. Because of this, Jesus is able to save us from sin, and speak to the Father on our behalf.

(v.27) This is one of many verses that rebuke religions and churches that say that the communion actually becomes the body and blood of Jesus! No, He died once and for all, and we only take communion to remember what He did for us.